


When the Wind Blows

by Number_Twelve



Category: Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Angst and Tragedy, Brothels, F/F, F/M, Fire, Gen, Mild Sexual Content, Original Character(s), SandWings (Wings of Fire), SkyWings (Wings of Fire)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:15:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29563167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Number_Twelve/pseuds/Number_Twelve
Summary: Swift has never met her parents. Her mother sold her egg to a brothel in a poor, desolate town in Sandwing territory. Her father? He had probably been a drunk royal that paid a desperate dragon for pleasure.These facts are constantly rubbed in Swift's face as she struggles to make it through a dangerous, deadly life in the desert where anyone can betray you, but she's not planning on letting them drag her any lower.
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically a prologue  
> (Chapter Warnings: it stall starts out in a brothel. I think we all know that this means, right?)

The little dragonet was gently prodded into a dark, straw-covered floor. Slivers of light made it through cracks in the wood around them, a single lamp lit by the entrance through which the dragonet had been pushed through to find herself in the room with... giants. She stood frozen there, staring at the dragons seated around the room, the hum of conversation dying down as all heads turned to land on her.

"Camel dung," Sansa breathed. She was young, with warm, sandy scales and a pretty face. She was lying on her side, wings folded and the sting at the end of her tail curled up safely. The dragonet could do no more than stare as the sandwing got to her talons and slowly aproached her, "Her scales are like thousands of glittering rubies." 

A talon nudged her forward and the small, frail dragonet stumbled forward, slowing to a suddenctop before the much, much bigger dragon.

"We'll have to kill her anyways." The dragonet turned around to face the serious, severe looking dragon who had taken her in here. Dark, jet black eyes settled on her. Onyx was her name, being the eldest and "matriarch" of her little "family", and her soul was as dark and hard as the stone she had been named after. That was, at first sight. "We'd be doing the little one a mercy. "

" _Kill_ her?" Cecil cried out. She was the youngest, five or six years of age, with pale colored scales and a naturally smaller and thinner body. "But-"

"The summer will kill her off first." Onyx interjected in a flat tone. "Skywings are made for the colder winds of the north, not the harsh desert enviorment."

The little dragonet was absolutely unaware of the fact that her fate was being spoken off. She was little less than three days old, unable to understand a single word of the common tongue and unafraid of the giants all around her, her attention on the sand between the scales of her front left leg.

"She stands a chance, though!" Sansa said. "The oasis hasn't dried up in decades."

"And she will create an increase in income." Arid added from her corner of the room, blinking up at them with intelligent eyes, drapped in shadows and particles of sand. When she found that all attention was on her-- excepting the skywing's--, she continued speaking in her soft, silky tone. "I bet not even half of the town has ever set eyes on scales as hers. They'll want to see for themselves. Think of it, Onyx: we'll be winning more than before. Plus, it would be nice to have a youngster among us once more."

"I doubt youngsters are meant to be in brothels, but you make a valid point." Onyx said after some thought. "We'll keep her, but don't come crawling back to me if the heat kills her off. You're all just as responsible for her. Teach her to speak." with that, she gave them a nod and dissapeared outside, leaving the dragonet with the other sandwings. She blinked up at them with curiosity as Cecil and Sansa approached her.

"You didn't understand a word we say, don't you?" Cecil asked her, lowering her head to look at the skywing dragonet in the eye. She just blinked back at her mutely.

"How did Onyx get ahold of her?" Emu, an elder dragon but years youngers than Onyx, asked, laying on her side atop a large, old bench.

"I don't really know. I was with her when she brought in the egg. Apparently some Skywing sold it to her for a low prize." Sansa replied, nudging the dragonet with a talon. The small creature reached out, nudging her back and making her smile ruefully.

"I'm surprised Onyx didn't cook it or anything." Arid comented.

"That's called cannibalism!" Cecil exclaimed. Arid gave her a lazy smile.

"You don't say?"

The stairs above them creaked before any of them could reply to that. Pronghorn, an elder yet young dragon, appeared at the entrance. He was the only male dragon among them, bright and intelligent.

"Onyx wants you all to get ready. We open in a few minutes as soon as the sun sets." he announced. Arid snorted, stretching and getting to her talons elegantly.

"We know, we know." she said, giving him that one look she reserved for those males she wanted to seduce. However, it never seemed to work on Pronghorn. As if his warmth made a shield all around him.

"Then hurry. She's getting impacient and we'll probably be running all night because of the festivities." he answered over his shoulder, walking back out.

"It was a good try." Emu said as she too got up. "Maybe next time he'll notice."  
She said this every time and it never happened, but they all said nothing for Arid's sake.

"Wait. What about our little ruby?" Sansa asked.

"I'll keep her with me at the counter," Emu offered.

They all went up the stairs, last of all Emu and the little dragonet. The elder sandwing gave her a little nudge.

"Come on. We need to get to work." she said, walking ahead. The dragonet stared after her, then quickly moved to follow her up the stairs with easy. In the next room, the sandwings were laughing and talking to one another. The dragonet shyed away on instinct, eyes flickering nervoulsy. She continued to follow Emu into another room. It was simply decorated, with a large rug on the floor and a tall counter on the side, at which Emu was. The dragonet approached her, sniffing at the rug before sitting down next to her in silence. After a few beats, she felt a little nudge to her side and looked up to find Emu holding out a strange, little oval-shaped thing between her claws. 

"This is a date." Emu said. "D-A-T-E. Very sweet and nutritional. Try it. You might not like it as much as meat, but it's something."  
Of course the dragonet understood nothing but took it in her small talons as she heard the door open. She sniffed at it, then bit into it.

"Welcome. Anything I can do for you?" Emu asked, leaning on the counter and looking at the newcomer. A hardy-looking sandwing, not a costumer they hadn't seen before but one they didn't get often either.

"Do me a favor, get me a female I will enjoy bedding," he grunted. Emu nodded, poking her head into the entrance behind her. 

"Arid! Get your backside over here!" she called. She looked back at the costumer. "She'll give you a good time." Arid stalked through the entrance moments later, looking graceful but deadly at the same time. The costumer slapped a few coins onto the counter and said it should take no more than an hour. Arid gave Emu a tired look before she disappeared after the sandwing.

"D…ate?" the dragonet stammered out, looking up at tge elder dragon. Emu blinked, then smiled.

"You learn swiftly," she said, holding out another date. A pause. "Swift. That fits you, doesn't it?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Mild sexual content at the end

A strong breeze blew, carrying millions of particles of sand along with it. A hardy sun shone far above in a clear sky, not a cloud in sight to cover away the strong rays that came down onto the desert floor to heat the sand. It was further away from what the sun was during summer months, but it was enough to bake a lizard alive if it was left outside for hours on end. Swift thought this sourly as she waited in silent patience, turning her head a little to look at Emu. Next to her, the elder sandwing looked nearly as regal as a queen herself, crouched elegantly with her dark eyes watching the expanses of sand far and wide to the north, her pale scales glinting in the sun whenever she moved.

"There." she suddenly said in a quiet tone, nodding ahead. Swift turned her head back to the desert ahead of them, squinting. Being five years of age, she was far from the sandwing average high. She was thin, small and swift, with sharp, amber eyes. Her wings and scales made all the difference. Her scales made her stand out among a crowd of sandwings like a ruby among sand, her wingspan being far bigger than the average sandwing dragonet.

"What am I meant to be looking at?" she asked, matching the volume of her voice to Emu's.

"Wait. They will come back into sight now." Swift saw them then, small outlines of camels further into the desert. She counted six, but, from having tracked them down for the last hour, she knew there were at least sixteen of them in the small herd.

"We will have a quicker chance of hunting them from the air." Emu said. "We can fly them down. Once you get your catch, kill it quickly so it won't feel any pain or fear. They might only be game to us, but they can feel just as much as dragons do."

Swift couldn't understand how camels could be like dragons in any ways but nodded her understanding, crouching lower behind the dune.

Emu stood a little higher. "We need no more than three. Concentrate on getting one and I'll get the other two. Good luck." she nudged Swift's wing with her own before rising fully. Swift ducked her head as her large wings unfolded overhead her, and soon Emu was already in the sky. The skywing dragonet peered above the sand in time to see the camels disappear.  
She then stood up, unearthing herself from the sand, spreading her wings open and breaking out into a short run before jumping into the sky.

For a few beats, she flew close to the ground, letting the air carry her. She saw Emu's shadow roll underneath her, then tilted her wings up a little, rising higher into the sky. The camels were already fleeing, kicking up dust behind them.  
But try as they might, there was nowhere for them to go.  
Swift rised above the herd, eyes darting as she picked out the possible targets. Emu had taught her to recognize the mothers and their calves as to not kill one and cause the other unnecesary grief-- or death. She settled for a camel off to the sides of the group.  
Swift tilted her wings at an angle like one of Sansa's falcons, falling into a dive. The camel saw her shadow moments before her talons closed around it. Swift lifted back upward, snapping the animal's neck before it was able to call out in fear and pain.

oOo

The town came into view faster than Swift would have liked it to do so. A darker smudge of browns and pale oranges, it was built around the Sandstone Oasis, which lay in the center in the shape of a dragon's egg. Swift followed Emu down, making a smooth landing before the south gate of town. A bored-looking guard glanced up at them.

"Names?"

"Emu and Swift. We went out hours earlier, hunting. One of your colleagues let us out." Emu answered, laying the carcass over her shoulders, securing them there with her large wings. Swift did the same with a little more difficulty to the point were Emu bent ovr to help her adjust it. The guard hummed in understanding and waved them in through the dry-mud arch. Emu led the way in, with Swift close on her heels. She ignored the guard watching her pass.  
She was used to dragons staring at her for her scale colors and the fact that she was no sandwing.

The main street of the town was used as marketplace. Stands selling all kinds of goods lined the sides and sadwings haggled for prices. It was always bussy during daylight, filled with conversation and noise.  
Sandstone was a small, desolate town situated along the south-east, hours away from Scorpion Den by flight, days by foot. It was a good spot for travelers traveling the desert for rest, but the town also saw its own share of bounty hunters and, well, corruption.  
Despite that, it was a relatively safe spot on the map. Compared to Scorpion Den, that was.  
Swift followed Emu down the bussy street, watching out for the venomous stings at the end of sandwings' tails and keeping track of where Emu was. The skywing dragonet knew her way home well, but it was always safer to have someone else with her rather than being in her own. Giant clothes hung above them, giving shade and coolness from the sun. In summer, they had to be replaced with even thicker cloths, but it didn't make as much of a difference.  
Emu turned a corner to enter the familiar alley-way leading to the Oasis. Home was only a few minutes away, not far from the oasis. The houses around them were piled on top of each other, made of wood or dried mud, sometimes both. Soon they reached their door, an old, swinging sign above it saying "Sandstone Brothel & Inn".

Emu pushed through the bead courtain, closely followed by Swift. Cecil was at the counter, her back to them as she concentrated on hanging a large frame with a map inside it. She turned her head to them as they came in, her features lighting up.

"Emu! Swift! You guys had a good hunt?" she exlclaimed, turning to them and setting down the old hammer she had in her talons.

"Perfect. You should have seen the kill Swift made." Emu mused. She looked at Swift. "Come. Let's take these over to the kitchen." 

"I think Sansa's there." Cecil said, following them.

"And Arid?"

"She left in the morning with Onyx and Pronghorn to see the traders."

"I see. Afternoon, Sansa." 

Sansa looked up from the dates she was sorting. Her favorite falcon, a bautiful, brown bird she had named Sandstorm, sat on the counter next to her, tearing into a piece of raw meat.

"You two brought something back?" she asked.

"Two camels." Emu replied, sitting back on her haunches and placing the dead animals on the floor. Swift did the same, laying it with care. Sansa nodded in approval.

"I'll deal with them later. You two can go laze around for now until Onyx returns." she replied. 

"You don't need any help?" Swift asked her, reading out to lightly stroke Sandstorm.

"Hmm... no, I think I'm fine. Maybe you can go upstairs and check that all the rooms are in good conditions." Sansa suggested. Swift nodded and slipped out, walking to the dry-mud steps and going up to the second floor.  
It hadn't been there when Swift had been brought to her new home by Onyx. The sandwings that had lived in the rooms above theirs had left the town, and Onyx had bought them as an extension. Which had been a relief to them all as they did not have to sleep crammed in the same, dingy room while costumers occupied the rest. In the lower floor, there had only been three; now Swift slept in the same room with Emu, Sansa and Onyx while Pronghorn, Cecil, Arid and Peregrine took the other, the latter Sandwing being an elder dragonet of seven Onyx had taken in two years before then.

Swift reached the landing, nearly crashing into Peregrine, whose talons were loaded with bedsheets.

"Oh! My bad--!" the elder dragonet exclaimed, peering down at Swift with an apologetic smile.

"It's fine." Swift replied. "Are you going to wash those?"

"Yeah. Ya wouldn't mind helping me out, would ya?" Peregrine asked her, a little nervously.

"No. I don't have much to do." Swift replied. Peregrine smiled again.

"Thanks! These won't be washing themselves, ha ha!" she said as Swift took a few from her, loading them into her own arms before drapping them around her shoulders like she had done with her kill. Peregrine blinked. "Ohh, that's smart! It didn't occur to me it would be easier to take them out like that. Hang on."

Soon the two of them were on their way to the oasis. It was partly empy, excepting a few younger sandwing dragonets climbing the palmtrees on the sides looking for fresh dates to snack on and a few other adult sandwings. Peregrine filled up a large, metal barrel with water, dumping the sheets in a heap next to her. She looked Swift over as she left hers on top of the pile.

"Ya can have a small swim, to get rid of the sand all over yer scales." she suggested. 

"Give me a minute. I'll help you wash them then." Swift said. Peregrine nodded, picking at the sheets as the red dragonet walked to the shore. The water was blissfully cold underneath her tallons in the heat of the sun, washing away the sand stuck to them. She walked in deepr until she was able to fully sink underneath, holding her breath for a few moments before pulling back out and climbing back out onto the shore. Peregrine glanced at her with awe.

"Ya should see yer scales!" she said, tapping her forehead with a claw. "I swear I've never seen anything shinier!"

They got to work, going through all the sheets while discussing what Onyx often called "town gossip" in peace.  
It didn't last very long.

"Hey there, beautiful." a rough voice said, directly from behind Swift. She turned her neck to find a sandwing male towering over her, dark eyes fixed on her. Not someone she knew or recognized from the street. Peregrine was at her side in an instant.

"Afternoon." she said in a calm voice, discretely nudging Swift to move back a little. "Anything we can help ya with?"

"That ruby next to you," he said, nodding at her, "she for sale?"

Peregrine's gaze darkened and Swift could see her muscles tense. "No."

"I can give you a good pri--"

"I said no. She's not for sale." Peregrine repeated in a firmer tone. Swift caught a flash of anger in the dragon's eyes. "Sod off. We don't want any trouble. Good day."

And before she could react, she had been brutally thrown to the side like a doll, the sadnwing's tail striking her with unbelievable strength. Swift let out a yelp, stumbling back as her body went flying right into the oasis. Strong talons grasped her arm and she was roughly pulled forward.

"Guess I'll take the mongrel for free, then." the sandwing snarled.  
Swift was not having it.  
Mentally thanking Arid for teaching her self-defense, she lunged forward, dragging her claws down his chest. He roared in anger, releasing her and sweeping his tail at her. She easilly sidestepped it, then lunged forth, locking her teeth right were it hurt: just before the stinger along the end of the tail. She had her victory for a second before she was struck across the midsection. She was sent tumbling to the edge of the water, tasting blood in her mouth. When she looked up, pushing herself to her feet, he was already gone.

oOo

"Probably a slave buyer." Onyx growled. Swift and Peregrine had fallen silent. Peregrinne had a bruise on her ribs and Swift had lost a tooth. Despite the pain it was causing her, she couldn't help but feel a little satisfied to think that it had ended up embedded between her attacker's scales.

"Cowardly lizards, that's what they are." Pronghorn said in quiet anger as he checked Swift's jaws. "Arid, will you get me a cloth or something to dab this with?"

"We should find out who it was and make him pay!" Cecil snapped as Arid went to fetch a cloth.

"It's not that simple." Emu interjected. "No one would care. He might have evn left town."

"We can still track him--"

"We will do no such thing." Onyx hissed at her. She fell quiet. "The damage's been done. If any of you see him again, tell me and I will take care of it. But do not attempt to face him on your own. Understood?"

"Got it." Sansa replied with a nod. The rest nodded their consent or murmured it, except for Swift as Pronghorn made her hold her jaws open as he dabbed at her small wound with the cloth. 

"Good. Get yourselves ready. We open soon enough. Sansa, did you finish preparing the food?"

"Yes."

"I believe that the sheets have been taken care of as well?"

"I think Cecil did them." Peregrine replied.

"I did."

"Good. Sansa, you take the counter. Pronghorn, make sure that our costumers get fed if they request it. The rest of you, you know what to do."

oOo

"Swift, Sansa's saying she wants you at the counter." Cecil said, nudging her wing with her own. Swift nodded tiredly, getting up and walking to the counter. When Sansa saw her, she frowned.

"I told Cecil to get _Arid_ , not you," she said. She turned to their costumer, a young looking dragon with pale, sandy scales. "Apologies. Give us a--"

"Oh, this one's fine." he replied. "I've heard of the red dragon. Quite intriguing."

Sansa hesitated. "Alright."  
She looked back at Swift, who gave her a small nod to show that she would manage.

The dragon was silent as he followed Swift up to the second floor. She entered one of the rooms, pushing aside the cloth curtain and slipping inside. She heard a rustle as the other dragon did as well.

"So you are a skywing?" he said. Swift sat down at the nest of blankets piled in a corner and nodded. The dragon walked over to her, pausing to look out the small, paneless window. He then continued, sitting opposite her.

"A skywing among sandwings. In the desert." he seemed to think of it. "It sounds strange even to my ears. Did you only just get here?"

"No." she replied, a little nervous. "I've been here for the last five years."

He looked properly shocked, "And how in the world did you manage that?!"

"I stayed inside a lot and used the Oasis as well." she shruged it off, because to her it was no big deal. She hadn't gotten used to the heat, obviously. But staying inside the house in the small room below were it was colder helped. 

"That's no small task." the dragon mused. "The name's Dromedary. Drome for short. You?"

"Swift."

"It fits you." he said approvingly, getting to his talons with a stretch. "How about we get to business and then talk a little more, eh?"

She nodded in silence, scooting over as he climbed onto the blankets and then onto her.

She had began to work as a prostitute since she was two. Onyx's decision. She had to make herself useful or end up in the street. Arid and Sansa had taught her how to please males. But really, to her 'pleasing males' was just another set of words for 'being used'.  
Sometimes getting bedded could be pleasant and other times it was a complete pain in the backside. An example was Cecil, who had nearly had had her arm gotten broken because of it.  
But they had to deal with it if they didn't want to end up in the streets and that was the complicated truth they had to accept.


End file.
